SME Marketing Summit to focus on ‘power of strategic thinking’
The Puerto Rico Sales and Marketing Executives Association (SME) will host its SME Marketing Summit Oct. 20 at the Coca-Cola Music Hall in San Juan, when it will focus on “The Power of Forward Thinking,” to explore ways to innovative and transformative actions in business.
The event, which gathers the island’s marketing, advertising, and media professionals, will feature a lineup of local and international speakers, while providing networking opportunities.
It will also serve as the platform to announce the winners to the 2022 Marketing Excellence Awards.
“The SME Marketing Summit offers participants access to world-class speakers without having to leave Puerto Rico. Antonio Lucio’s experience, charisma and insights will lay the groundwork for what will be a series of talks that will foster discussion, transformation, and changes of vision; both for the benefit of the brands and the country,” said Idalis Montalvo, director of the event’s organizing committee and member of the SME Board.
The morning’s educational program will begin with the “The Power of Forward Thinking” seminar by Antonio Lucio, founder of 5S Diversity and former chief marketing officer of Facebook, Hewlett Packard, Visa, and PepsiCo, which will be moderated by Waldo Hooker, vice president of Liberty’s B2C Products & Strategy.
Lucio, who is a member of the Hall of Fame of the American Marketing Association, is an advocate of constant change in the marketing discipline, for which he has been named one of Forbes’ Most Influential CMO’s on several occasions.
Following the discussion, Mike Brooks, head of strategy and planning at Virgin Media O2 — the UK’s largest connectivity provider — will talk about “The Power of Strategy when everything’s going to sh*t.” Brooks will focus on organizational strategy and why marketing is the best option to establish a strategy that survives market instability.
Meanwhile, Carla McCloskey, executive vice president in charge of Strategy at McCann Worldgroup Mexico, will speak on how the true potential of data emerges when it is used creatively to solve a need.
In her presentation, “Human First, Data Next,” McCloskey will outline cases in which behavioral theory, combined with data, achieves radical changes in brands.
“To close the morning program, the first round of winners of the 2022 Marketing Excellence Awards will be presented, allowing the Association to recognize local talent and inspire all of us who are part of this industry,” Montalvo added.
Lucienne Gigante, founder and chief strategist at Lucenti Strategy, will moderate the event.
The afternoon session will begin with the lecture “Marketing in a changing world” by Jorge Becerra, director of Strategic Planning at Alma. Becerra will focus on five global consumer trends that will impact consumer attitudes and behavior in the coming months, as well as the importance of brands adjusting and responding to this new reality.
To present the local perspective, he will be followed by Gabriela Ripepi, the main marketing officer of Destilería Serrallés, who in her dissertation, “How to grow your brand and business beyond our market,” will present the Don Q case and its strategy to promote the brand’s growth and evolution.
Alexandra Caraballo, partner and general manager of Lopito, Ileana & Howie Inc, and Coralis Chaluisant, customer interaction manager, will focus their “Mastering the Omnichannel Experience” presentation on the importance of the Omnichannel strategy from the consumers, brands and communications points of view.
The afternoon concludes with the presentation “The future of our brands is defined by three key pillars: Innovation, Creativity, and Technology,” by Avedis Boudakian, co-founder of The Electric Factory, followed by the second round of awards and a networking cocktail.
